Etymologically
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souffle

Etymology and origin of the French word souffle

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Back-formation
First attested
c. 1160, Eneas (sofle)
Ultimate origin
Latin (flō)

Pronunciation

Forms

souffle m (plural souffles)[1] Old French sofle, souffle from about 1220 (Gautier de Coinci).[2][3]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun formed from souffler.[2][4][3][1] The verb continues Latin sufflō (“to blow on, blow up”), from sub- and flō (“to blow”).[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Roman d'Eneas (about 1160) has sofle for the movement of air made by breathing out with some force.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The Gérard Bible (1553) uses it for breath and breathing, and dernier souffle “last breath” is in Monet (1636).[2][3] Bonivard (1562) has it for inspiration, and La Fontaine (1671) for an animating force.[2][7] Montchrestien (1604) uses it for a breath of wind, Monet (1636) for the rush of air of a cannon, and in 1909 it names the blast of an explosion.[2] In medicine it denotes a heart murmur (1833, bruit de souffle, 1837).[2]

Figurative phrases are mostly modern: manquer de souffle (1846), le souffle coupé (1885), à bout de souffle “exhausted” (Zola, 1887, Godard's film, 1960) and second souffle, first in sport (1907) and then in journalism (1964).[2] English took the past participle English soufflé as a cookery term in 1803.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1160 – Sofle, Eneas.[2]
  • 1553 – Breath, breathing.[2]
  • 1562 – “Inspiration”, Bonivard.[2]
  • 1604 – A breath of wind, Montchrestien.[2]
  • 1636 – Dernier souffle, souffle du canon, Monet.[2]
  • 1833 – Heart murmur.[2]
  • 1887 – À bout de souffle, Zola.[2]
  • 1907 – Second souffle, in sport.[2]
  • 1909 – The blast of an explosion.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A puff of air blown from the mouth: éteindre les bougies d'un seul souffle.[8][1]
  2. breath, breathing, retenir son souffle, jusqu'à son dernier souffle.[8][1]
  3. Capacity for breathing, wind: avoir du souffle, manquer de souffle, à bout de souffle, out of breath, exhausted, second souffle, second wind.[8][2]
  4. A breath of wind, gust.[1][2]
  5. The blast of an explosion.[1][2]
  6. inspiration, creative force: le souffle du génie.[1][2]
  7. (medicine) A murmur: souffle au cœur.[1][2]

Word family

  • essoufflé
  • essouffler
  • à bout de souffle

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Souffle.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/souffle. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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